Chapter 53
Pazuzu phase.4 is the 53rd chapter of the manga and the fourth and final chapter of the Pazuzu Arc. An Excalibur attempt to ambush Koko Hekmatyar's convoy is foiled by Wiley's instincts and the squad turns the tables on them. Title page Koko Hekmatyar posing with the in . Summary While leading the convoy Wiley senses something amiss while consulting a map and informs Koko that they will stop in a minute. He suspects that the curve up ahead may be an ambush point and Koko quickly supports him, alerting her squad to prepare for a preemptive strike as the convoy halts. Lehm and Lutz are directed to prepare their rifles while Nazal is advised that he cannot make any more phone calls. He thinks that the squad did a great job of anticipating the ambush and that Excalibur will not be able to handle them. The convoy is under observation by a pair of Excalibur spotters who see that everyone has exited the vehicles. They try to reach Nazal but he does not pick up and they contact their reinforcements. Wiley goes ahead to reconnoiter and finds an IED off to the side of the road in the form of a box on a disabled trailer and knows that a second one will be across the road. The scouts hold their fire to avoid tipping off the convoy but see that Wiley has spotted the IED. Excalibur comes up the road in their vehicles and is anticipating making a killing from taking out the convoy. As Koko hands Nazal some body armour the driver of the lead truck is informed that the convoy is stopped and Nazal is not responding just before he is sniped and killed by Lehm. Valmet and the others open fire on the oncoming Excalibur vehicles while Lutz takes out a sniper in the ambush team and Lehm snipes the gunners on the trucks. The scouts spot Wiley again and try to detonate the IED but Wiley has disconnected the cell phone attached to it and triggers both IEDs himself, wiping out the ambush teams. The surviving members of Excalibur make a last ditch attempt by sending forward a human bomb in the form of an Iraqi that they had earlier captured strapped a bomb vest to. Koko has her squad hold their fire and calls Wiley back to the convoy to handle him. When he returns he has Ugo and Mao find a surviving member of Excalibur. While Wiley directs the Iraqi to get down when he nears them, Nazal accompanies Ugo and Mao. He points out to them the president of Excalibur as well as the son of a British Home Office official, who he asks for when they are done as his father is rich. Back at their shattered vehicles the surviving members of Excalibur see the Iraqi fall over and try to detonate his bomb vest but fail as Wiley has disconnected the cell phone attached to it. They are then surprised to see their president come over to them with the bomb vest on, which Wiley detonates. As the squad gathers Wiley notices that Jonah has gotten freaked out and thinks that he will no longer take his language lessons seriously. Jonah however thinks the opposite and that he needs to take the lessons more seriously from now on. Koko then sees Nazal with his captive. He thanks her and states that it was worth infiltrating Excalibur for two weeks, asking to be excused although he had earlier offered to drive. Koko lets him go as they are close to their destination, pointing out that the human bomb was a truck driver abducted on the freeway who can take over. A fleet of five Mercedes-Benz GLKs materialises to pick up Nazal and Koko observes that the people of this country are strong as the convoy starts up. Anime and manga differences *The episode omits Valmet loading her FN Minimi Para and Koko giving Nazal a suit of body armour. *Excalibur's Renault Koleos is shown taking fire during the fight. Wiley is showing leaving the IED site and retreating. The ambush team is not shown getting taken out by the IED and Wiley does not tell the others that Excalibur used too much explosive. *The kidnapped truck driver is wearing Western dress and has different facial features. The wiped out ambush team is shown. *The scene with the surviving Excalibur members sheltering behind their vehicles is longer. Koko is not shown gathering everyone up after Excalibur is wiped out. Nazal's departure is shown in flashback after the convoy has resumed and Jonah is shown reacting to the SUVs arriving to pick him up. Both groups are on opposite sides of the road. Category:Volume 9 53